Mysterious Silver Box Probably Was Toothbrush Holder in 19th Century
WHAT IS IT?
A small Tiffany sterling silver container measuring three-fourths of an inch by one-half inch by 2 inches. It has a curved perforated lid, with Tiffany & Co. etched on the bottom. There is an oval hole in the bottom of the box, which suggests it was originally a toothbrush holder made in the late 1800s.
WHAT’S THE LEGEND?
“Fifty years ago, when I was living in Arizona, I found this box by my trash can,” remembers Roy Lahti of Huntington Beach. “I’ve been wondering about
what it was ever since. I keep it on my desk at home.”
WHAT’S ITS
HISTORY?
“Small silver accessories and fancy goods by Tiffany & Co. were very popular with the Victorians in the mid- to late-1880s,” says Jo Ellen Qualls, vice president of Tiffany & Co. at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. Because of this, many of their personal articles were made of sterling silver.
The 1880 “Blue Book” of Tiffany silver, under the heading of Presents for Ladies, listed silver toothbrush holders with plain or engraved silver tops. The brush went in the sterling container with the handle going through the hole. They cost about $5 then, about $60 today.
WHY IS IT POPULAR NOW?
These are very rare. More collectible are Tiffany silver boxes, especially match safes that were made around the same time.
Boxes are always collectible because they take up little space and are often reasonably priced. The most collectible toothbrush holders were ceramic ones made in prewar Japan and modeled after a popular comic strip and Disney characters. A Donald Duck toothbrush holder sold in 1997 for $1,500.
WHAT’S IT WORTH TODAY?
“I saw a Gorham toothbrush holder a couple years ago,” says George Sparacio, an antiques collector and expert in Florida. “I would guess this would be worth around $60 to $75 today. I would imagine that any collector of Tiffany smalls would be interested in this.”
CAN I LEARN MORE?
“Silver Curios in the Home, With Price Guide” by Dorothy Rainwater and Beryl Frank ($39.95, Schiffer Publishing, 1999) includes many silver oddities from the past, such as corn scrapers, wig rakes and tongue scrapers.
The Web site: https://www.silvermag.com has interesting articles on silver, as well as subscription information about Silver Magazine.
* To have an item considered for this column, send information, a photograph of it and a phone number to: What’s It Worth?, Home Design, Los Angeles Times, Orange County edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.